Electronic apparatuses, such as television receivers, video recorder/players, and air conditioners, are recently developed to have improved versatility and functional characteristics. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-173198 discloses a display installed in a remote controller for remotely controlling an operation of an electronic apparatus. The controller includes a display for displaying images and patterns in addition to numerals and characters and for allowing a user to manipulate the remote controller.
Such conventional display and a conventional remote controller including the display will be explained.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the conventional remote controller. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the controller. The controller includes a case 1 having a substantial box-shape and made of insulating resin material, such as polystyrene or ABS, and has an opening 1A and through holes 1B provided in a bottom 1D thereof. The case 1 has a frame shaped holding portion 1C thereof provided around the opening 1A and projecting from the bottom 1D. The controller further includes a circuit board 2 made of insulating material, such as paper phenol or glass epoxy, and having wiring patterns (not shown) made of conductive material, such as copper provided on upper side 2C and lower side 2D. Conductors 2A are arranged on the lower side 2D at predetermined intervals. The circuit board 2 is accommodated in case 1 and joined with screws to the case 1 as to cover the top of the case 1. A display device 3, such as a liquid crystal display, includes electrodes 3A arranged on the upper side of the device at the predetermined intervals. The display device 3 is slightly smaller than the holding portion 1C of the case 1, hence being securely accommodated in the holding portion 1C while a display surface of the device is exposed from the opening 1A.
The display device 3 for displaying numerals and characters may have an interval of about 1.5 mm between electrodes 3A. The display device 3 adapted to display images and patterns, such as icons, may have a smaller interval since including more electrodes 3A for precise display.
An elastic connector 4 includes conductive layers 4A and insulating layers 4B. The conductive layer 4A is made of elastic material, such as silicone rubber, having conductive particles, such as carbons, dispersed therein. The insulating layer 4B is made of elastic and insulating material, such as silicone rubber. The conductive layers 4A and the insulating layers 4B are alternately placed in a arranging direction of the electrodes 3A. The elastic connector 4 is mounted between the circuit board 2 and the display device 3 while slightly deflecting. The conductive layers 4A have their upper and lower ends elastically urged and contacting the conductors 2A and the electrodes 3A, respectively, hence electrically connecting the conductors 2A to the electrodes 3A, respectively, for activating the display device 3.
An operating member 5 is made of elastic material, such as silicone rubber or elastomer, and accommodated in the case 1. The operating member 5 has movable contacts 5A made of conductive material, such as carbon, provided on an upper side of the member 5 and has dome shaped pressing portions 5B provided on the lower side of the member 5. The pressing portions 5B project outward from the through-holes 1B of the case 1.
The circuit board 2 has fixed contacts (not shown) provided on the lower side 2D of the board 2. The fixed contacts face movable contacts 5A of the operating member 5 corresponding to the fixed contacts and are distanced from the contacts 5A by a predetermined distance. Electronic components, such as light emitting diodes 6A and microcomputers (not shown) are mounted on the lower side 2D of the circuit board 2 and provides a control circuit 6 for transmitting a remote control signal, thus providing the conventional remote controller.
The conventional remote controller is directed towards an electronic apparatus, such as a television receiver, a video recorder/player, or an air conditioner. Then, pressing portions 5B are activated to, for example, turn on and off the apparatus and control volume of sound. Upon the pressing portion 5B being depressed, movable contact 5A corresponding to the portion 5B contacts the fixed contact, thereby having control circuit 6 to transmit infrared ray signals to the electronic apparatus to be controlled. Upon receiving the signals, the electronic apparatus is remotely controlled to operate, for, example, is turned on and off and has volume of sounds controlled.
In order to set a time for starting and stopping of recording a program, a user operates the pressing portion 5B while monitoring the starting time and the stopping time displayed on the display device 3. Then, infrared ray signals representing the starting time and the stopping time are transmitted to the electronic apparatus to record the starting time and the stopping time in the apparatus, thereby allowing the apparatus to execute predetermined operations at the starting time and the stopping time.
The conventional remote controller may, however, cause the display device 3 to be displaced in the holding portion 1C of the case 1 or the circuit board 2 to be dislocated in the case 1. Particularly when the display device 3 includes electrodes 3A aligned at small intervals as to be adapted to display images or patterns, such as icons, the electrodes 3A of the display device 3 are displaced with respect to the conductors 2A of the circuit board 2 connected with the elastic connector 4. This may make electrical connection between the display device 3 and the circuit board 2 unstable.